Hi,
I noticed about 2 days ago on my beautiful 7 mo old daughter that she seems to have a little bump along the left side of her spine (about halfway down and about a quarter of her spine long). Its only present when she sits not when she is lying or standing. Im trying to feel her spine to see if it is straight. Sometimes it seems straight to me and sometimes it seems slightly curved to the left. We just had a doctors appt and the pediatrician recommended a xray to rule out scoliosis. Im weary about giving a 7 mo an xray because of the radiation exposure. She has been trying to sit up on her own and arching her back when she is held because she wants to see what is going on behind her so we try to get her to stop but Im wondering could she have strained her back muscles or something and thats why there is a bump. The pediatrician didnt think so. Could we have started putting her sitting up too soon - around 3.5-4mos? I dont know what to do and would like some advice, recommendations, suggestions, etc. Thank you!
My daughter was full on crawling at 4 months and sitting unassisted. It's not from that. Get her the X-ray and see
Either wait to see what develops or get the x-ray. X-rays are only toxic when we are exposed to massive amounts of them. One x-ray now will not hurt her. If the doctor recommends one then do it. If he only suggested it to lesson your anxiety then wait.
Why go to a doctor if you're not going to trust that he has your best interests at heart? Yes, it's good to do be aware of concerns but it's also good at the same time to be aware that many of the ones that we hear about are not based on scientific evidence. Have you heard of anyone who has actually been damaged by x-rays done only when necessary?
Do not stop trying to get her to stop arching her back and encourage her to sit up. She needs to do this to build her muscles. She's not hurting herself. The doctor said she's not straining her muscles. He's trained and experienced. Believe him. Besides, all babies arch their backs. If that caused strained muscles all babies would have bumps on their backs.
Even if she has scoliosis don't treat her as handicapped. I have scoliosis. Hasn't prevented me from doing anything. It's not painful. It causes one arm to be a bit longer than the other and my head tends to lean just a smidge to the right. No one even noticed it until I had an x-ray for a job.
It is important to diagnose scoliosis early while the child is still growing so that it can be corrected if it's a problem. What did the doctor suggest about treatment if it's scoliosis? Did he say she should get an x-ray now or would it be OK to do it later?
My nephew was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis at age 3 which is quite different than scoliosis acquired during adolescents. Once it was determined it was congenital he had to have additional testing on his kidney's and heart to rule out other issues that sometimes accompany congenital scoliosis. Have the X-ray so you know. In this case, the benefit of the X-ray far outweigh the risk IMO.
I would not fear the radiation from one chest x-ray done for diagnostic purposes. You are exposed to almost the same amount of radiation flying across country and back, and people often don't think twice about that. I would prefer to find out sooner rather than later to take advantage of any possible early interventions. I wish you the best.
To put your mind at ease, get the x ray. Radiation is minimal. Better to be safe than sorry.
xrays give you very little radiation, but they tell you a lot very quickly. Hon, your doc is worried about much more then scoliosis, he can diagnose that in the office just by feeling her spine. I have never heard of a pulled muscle in an infant, or even in a child under about 3 yrs old. You started putting her sitting up at the age my daughter was already solidly sitting up, there is no too early for that.
Please go get the xray, rule out the things your doctor is thinking cause if it is those things an xray is the least of your worries. I do not want to scare you for the xray hopefully will show nothing, but I know things it could show just from that description and I'm not a doctor.
Get the X-ray please!
She is probably fine. Let her move as she wants. Strong muscles are good for posture.
Get the x-ray . You didn't do anything wrong . If it is scoliotis it can be treated right away . My husband had a mild case of it and it was fixed really quickly . Not a big deal . Don't worry it will be ok :0)
I truly would not worry about radiation exposure...if your doctor is concerned enough to suggest it then you should have it done. Don't try to diagnose this yourself because any spinal issues are serious and early intervention is the key!
